Town planning schemes are prepared under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act of 1966 to implement development plans covering areas under planning authorities. The schemes involve land pooling and reconstitution to provide infrastructure and redistribute plots. Objectives include pooling land, reconfiguring plots, and providing social and physical infrastructure while recovering costs. Historically, the first town planning legislation was the 1915 Bombay Town Planning Act, which was replaced in 1954 to introduce development plans as the main planning instrument. Town planning schemes are intended to implement development plan proposals through a joint process between local authorities and landowners to pool, redistribute land, and share development costs.

1. What is Town Planning Scheme?
• For the implementation of development plans for the areas covered under the jurisdiction of the
planning authorities such as Municipal Corporations/ Municipal Councils/ Nagar Panchayats, or in
respect of any land which is likely to be in the course of development or which is already built upon,
Town Planning Schemes are prepared with the methods such as micro-level planning and Land Pooling
and Reconstitution, under the provisions of section 59 to 112 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town
Planning Act, 1966.
• The Town planning schemes are sanctioned by the Urban Development Department of the
Government.
• In short, It is an art of shaping and guiding the physical growth of the town creating buildings and
environments to meet the various needs such as social, cultural, economic and recreational etc. and
to provide healthy conditions for both rich and poor to live, to work, and to play or relax, thus
bringing about the social and economic well-being for the majority of mankind.
Objectives of Town Planning Schemes.
• Pooling of land.
• Reconstruction of plot boundaries.
• Provision for social and physical infrastructure.
• Redistribution of reconstructed plots amongst original owners.
• Automatic acquisition of ;and for public purposes.
• Recovery of Betterment contribution o recover the cost of development.

2. History of Town Planning Scheme in India.
The history of town planning legislation in India dates back to early part of the 20th century, when the Bombay Presidency took the lead in enacting the
first town planning legislation in the country. The Bombay Town Planning Act, 1915 which came into force on 6th March, 1915. This Act was then
followed by other provinces later on. The Bombay act of 1915 mainly provided for;
1. The preparation of town planning schemes (TPS) for areas in course of development within the jurisdiction of local authority, and
2. The recovery by planning authority of betterment contribution from the owners of benefitted lands.
It was observed that T.P. schemes prepared under the 1915 act resulted in the piecemeal planning having no relation with the adjoining areas. Thus, to
have a planned development of every square inch of the land within the municipal limits the need for another enactment was unavoidable which leads
to the enactment of Bombay town planning act 1954 replacing the 1915 act which came into force from 1st April 1957. The concept of development
plan (DP) was introduced for the first time in 1954 act as the main planning instrument retaining the TPS for implementation of the DP.
The basic concept of T.P. Scheme is providing together all the land under different ownerships and redistributing it in a properly reconstituted form
after deducting the land required for the open spaces, social infrastructure, services, housing for the economically weaker section and road network.
The process enables the local authority to develop and without fully acquiring it and gives it a positive control over the design and timing of the urban
growth. The method is extensively used in Gujarat and Maharashtra. To achieve the objective of D.P. plan, T.P schemes are prepared giving micro level
planning for smaller areas of 100 hectors. The areas are already under the pressure the urban development. T.P. Schemes are joint venture between
the local authorities and the owners of the plots who voluntarily agree to pool their land, redistribute that land among them and share the
development costs.

3. Purpose of Town Planning Schemes.
• To manage the transformation of India’s cities and towns and effectively manage new growth requires effective urban planning protocols,
processes, and institutions underpinned by effective legislation.
• Distinctive responses are required to transform the cities and towns from their present stressed conditions and managing new growth in a
manner that does not result in repeating the present problems in the cities and town.
• To effectively manage the new growth, it is essentially means that the irregular land holdings and plots will have to be given regular shapes
they must be ordered each plot, must be given access; infrastructure services such as water supply, drainage must be provided; land must
be appropriated for providing roads, parks, social amenities, and low income housing, development controls must be prescribed to result in
good quality-built form and betterment charges to offset the cost of developing the physical and social infrastructure.
• Implementation of the development plan proposal is the main purpose of town planning schemes.
Principles of Town Planning Schemes.
• For implementation of D.P. proposals.
• Lands pooled and reconstituted according to some equitable formula.
• Loss of land because of reservation.
• Dispossession kept at bare minimum.
• Reconstituted plots: buildable.
• Increments, incremental contribution-maximum 50%.
• Cost of Scheme: minimum as far as possible.
• Town planning scheme has been provided with an in-built mechanism for arbitration.
• Conceptually, town planning scheme is a joint land development project undertaken by the owners.
• Planning authority steps in as an agent on behalf of owners.
• Provides for smooth vesting of lands to planning authorities for public purposes.

4. Town Planning Scheme Procedure.
• Serving of individual notices to affected persons.
• Hearing of the objections and suggestions.
• Preparation of the Preliminary TPS considering the objections
and suggestions.
• Submission of the Preliminary TPS for sanctioning.
• Sanctioning of the Preliminary TPS with or without
modification.
• TPO working out valuation, incremental contribution and
informs the land owners.
• Deciding the Town Planning area.
• Declaration of the intention to prepare a TPS.
• Preparation of the Base Map.
• Preparation of the Draft Town Planning Scheme.
• Arrangement of the Owners meeting to explain Draft TPS.
• Invitation of the Objection and Suggestions for the Draft TPS.
• Modification of the Scheme.
• Submission of the Draft TPS to the state Government.
• Appointment of the Town Planning Officer (TPO) by the state
Government.
• Further invitation for the objections and suggestions.
• Decisions on the Final Scheme proposals.
• Information to each land owner.
• The land owner can appeal to the judge of district court.
• For the appeal against the valuation part, the land owner can
approach the Board of appeal, constituted by the state
Government.
• The Board of Appeal (BOA) gives its decisions after the
hearings.
• TPO varies the final scheme as per the decision of the BOA and
submits to the state government for its sanction. Sakshi Gadakh.
4th Year B. Arch.